bier Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a coffin along with its stand
    • we followed the bier to the graveyard
  2. noun a stand to support a corpse or a coffin prior to burial

WordNet

Bier noun
Etymology
OE. bæe, beere, AS. br, bre; akin to D. baar, OHG. bara, G. bahre, Icel barar, D baare, L. feretrum, Gr. , from the same bear to produce. See 1st Bear, and cf. Barrow.
Definitions
  1. A handbarrow or portable frame on which a corpse is placed or borne to the grave.
  2. (Weaving) A count of forty threads in the warp or chain of woolen cloth. Knight.

Webster 1913